Chances Are...
by Darkchilde
Summary: ~First in the series 'Hope Floats'~After solving the Labyrinth, and time goes by, Sarah finds peace only in her dreams with a certain man, and vise versa


Chances Are...  
  
By: Darkchilde  
  
midnights_jewel_purple@yahoo.com  
  
  
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Sarah Williams leaned against the closed refrigerator door, her heart thump rapidly against her ribs. She pressed her hand to her chest, as if she was trying to keep the heart from exploding right out of her abdominal cavity. A fine sheet of sweat covered her brow, and she pressed the cold water she had just yanked out of the fridge against her face.   
  
Taking a deep breath, she tried to control her heart's pounding but to no avail. Sighing, she sank down against the cool white door of the refrigerator, balancing on the balls of her feet. Her sweat pants and sports bra were soaked with perspiration, and her deodorant had stopped working about three miles into her six mile run.   
  
Gasping slightly, the girl pushed herself to her feet, ripping the top of the water bottle. She took a long drink of it before remembering that too much water while too hot would cause a cramp. She made a face and capped the bottle, slinging her sweat-soaked hair out of her face.   
  
Looking out the window, she noticed that the sun was just beginning to drop below the horizon, turning the sky to an unearthly red color. She turned away from the sight, the red sky bringing painful memories to the surface. Times spent with good friends in a magical realm, high adventure, the inkling of what could be love all mixed together would make a wonderful novel, but were sheer agony as memories. Her heart hurt every time she began to think about the thirteen magical hours she had spent in the Labyrinth…and the half-remembered waltz in a fairy-tale ball.   
  
Shaking her head to clear it of those unsettling thoughts, Sarah rose to her feet. She moved away from the fridge and out of the kitchen, pushing the swinging brown door open. Stepping through, Sarah came face to face with her father and stepmother.   
  
Both of them had their arms crossed over their chests, with worried expressions etched on their faces. Sighing for what seemed like the umpteenth time that night, Sarah looked at her parents, wondering what they wanted. She didn't have to wonder long.   
  
"Sarah…honey…we're worried about you." Her father began with out preamble. Sarah rolled her eyes, and met her father's gaze, secretly wondering how long this was going to take. When neither of her parents said anything further, she realized that it was her turn to speak.   
  
Holding back yet another sigh, she asked "Why are you worried about me?"   
  
"Look at the way you're living!" Karen cried, her voice holding a slight tremble to it. Sarah coughed to smoother a laugh---her stepmother could have made pretty decent money as an actress with her worried act. Daniel nor Karen spoke after that, and Sarah realized with annoyance that it was her turn to speak again.   
  
"What about the way I'm living? I don't do anything wrong." Sarah muttered, annoyed with having to go through this with them…again.   
  
"Sarah, we've been through this!" Daniel told her, as though reading his daughter's mind.   
  
"Been through what?" This time Sarah remembered where her line came in.   
  
"You're not living, Sarah. You're like…like…a machine! You're in bed every night by eight." Karen started.   
  
"You barely eat ANYTHING at all." Daniel continued.   
  
"You never were those silly costumes or play with you're books and scripts anymore either." Her stepmother added, ignoring Sarah's glare.   
  
"You never smile, you rarely speak, and all it seems like you do these days is run!" Her father finished, his eyes locked on her face, worried and tired.   
  
Sarah stared back at her parents, wondering why they were yelling at her. It wasn't HER fault she couldn't work up the zest for anything in her life anymore, and she didn't understand why they couldn't understand that. Shaking her head, she brushed their words off, all ready longing to go and fall into bed.   
  
"Can we talk about this later? I'm tired." Sarah didn't even have to delve into her acting skills to achieve the exhausted note in her voice.   
  
"Sarah, are you on drugs?" Her father pressed, ignoring her plea. She gaped at him, her dark eyes round and shocked.   
  
"Are you JOKING?!" She demanded, her voice rising to a screech.   
  
"If you are, we'll get you some help!" Karen promised, and Sarah could see that she was just itching to send the younger girl away.   
  
"No, I'm not on drugs!" Sarah cried passionately, glaring daggers at both Daniel and Karen.   
  
"Sweetheart, you don't have to lie to us…" Daniel began, holding his hands out towards his daughter like he was fending off an attack.   
  
"I'm not lying! I'm not on drugs, and I'm not depressed, and I'm not pregnant, or whatever else you two come up with in your feeble little brains! There's nothing wrong with me! Can't you just leave me alone!?" Sarah fumed, reverting back to her old habit of screaming at her parents, before turning and stomping up the steps to her room.   
  
She heard her father calling her name, but she ignored him, ripping the door to her room open and slamming it behind her. She locked the door, and fell on her bed, taking deep breaths and holding onto her tears as best she could.   
  
Sarah couldn't explain to her parents what was going on with her, because she didn't know herself! All she knew was that she just felt better when she was asleep…some thing happened to her when she wasn't forced to deal with humanity.   
  
"I wish I could just sleep forever…" Sarah whispered, kicking her shoes off and pulling her feet up onto the bed. She curled into the fetal position, her sweaty hair sprawled out all around her. It would be hell to comb tomorrow, but Sarah wasn't thinking that far ahead. All she knew was the peaceful expanses of slumber that overtook her.   
  
  
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The black cloud that covered the sky blocked out all the light that would have illuminated the Underground. The inky covering crackled with lightening, and thunder echoed though out every twist and turn of the Labyrinth. High winds howled as loudly as wolves and knocked over trees and everything else that got in it's way. Every creature with half a brain that inhabited the Goblin King's land refused to leave the shelter of his or her own home.   
  
The cause of this great black cloud was sprawled across his throne, his head in his hands. The goblins that where his minions didn't dance or play or whatever else it was they normally did as they sat watching the their king, Jareth.   
  
Jareth's golden hair was plastered to his head with grime, and his face was drawn and pale. His clothes were stained, and a tear was lengthening in his tights. In his right hand he clenched a half-empty tankard of wine, his knuckles white. Everything about him screamed 'leave me alone!' in the boldest of terms.   
  
The idiotic goblins were afraid to disturb him. The last five idiots that had angered the king when he had been like this had wound up in the Bog of Eternal Stench. Even the goblins steered clear of that place.   
  
So they sat by and watched, wondering what was wrong with Jareth. He hadn't been the same since that mousy girl, Sarah, had beaten him and his Labyrinth. He didn't steal babies anymore. He didn't work very much magic anymore. He didn't kick them around anymore (which was a good thing, most of them realized). He didn't eat or drink anything either, they had noticed.   
  
All he seemed to do anymore, they realized, was sleep, and sit in that chair and mope. Well, not really mope, because he was the Goblin King. He glared at things. He yelled at things. And then, as soon as the big golden ball went away, he went to his room, and slept for as long as he could.   
  
The goblins were worried about their king, but they didn't know what to do for him. So they decided that they had better do for themselves, and stay out of the unstable king's way.   
  
A shattering noise caught the attention of the dozen goblins that currently sat quietly in the throne room. They looked over to where the sound had come from, and winced. Scattered on the ground and quickly disappearing where one of their king's crystals, the kind he used for his magic.   
  
The goblin's golden eyes were pulled away from the dissolving mess when Jareth shot to his feet, and stomped out of the throne room. Dodging out of the way, all the goblins managed not to be kicked against a wall.   
  
One of the braver, or stupider (depending on how you looked at it) goblins followed it's king for a few yards, before the king finally realized it was there. Turning, he lifted one perfectly shaped eyebrow at the creature.   
  
"Do you want something, or are you just itching to go swimming in the Bog?" Jareth asked him, his cultured British accent coming through strong and clipped.   
  
"No! No!" The goblin cried, scurrying back down the hall headed back toward the Throne room. Sighing, Jareth rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers, and snapped his fingers. The goblin's terrified scream was cut short, and the Goblin King let a small smile pull at his lips. However, the smile soon disappeared, and Jareth resumed his walk to his bedchambers.   
  
He threw the door open, and slide in, magically commanding the door to shut and lock behind him. He kicked off his high leather boots, also with some magic help, and collapsed on his bed. He wished for second that he could sleep forever, because only in sleep did the demon that chased him every day leave him in peace.   
  
Not even bothering to remove his clothes, the King of the Goblins slid under the covers, and shut his eyes, fast asleep.   
  
  
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The first strains of a soft waltz caressed her ears, and she turned, a gentle smile lighting up her face. He smiled back at her, his mismatched eyes soft and loving as he reached out a hand toward her. Her smile broadening, she took it, amazed at how perfectly their hands seemed to fit together.   
  
He caught her around the waist, pulling her against his body. She continued to smile only at him, as they began to slowly waltz across the dance floor. The handsome duo had eyes only for each other, mismatched blue and hazel locked with deep chocolate brown.   
  
The room was lit with soft light, pastel bubbles and flower petals. The walls were made of crystal that reflected the light all around the room, bathing the two occupants in the gentle light. Rose petals littered the floor, filling the room with their sweet aroma. The air was filled with bubbles, gleaming as though they were made of soap, yet not popping, even when they ran into some sharp object.   
  
The young woman was dressed in a long white and silk dress, her dark hair curled and showering down her back in a waterfall of mahogany tresses. Pearls and diamonds were braided through it, to match the trim on the full evening gown she wore.   
  
The man's white- gold hair gleamed nearly silver in the soft light of the enchanted ballroom. He was dressed in deep blue, and glittered with sequins. He wore a pair of tight white pants and black, shiny boots that reached all the way up to his knees.   
  
He swirled her around, her long dress spinning out behind her as she spun around, before he pulled the young woman back to him, holding onto her as tightly as he could. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, before pulling her close to him and pressing his lips lightly to hers. She responded, wrapping her arms around his neck, and deepening the kiss, as the soft music that didn't seem to be coming form anywhere played on.   
  
And, back in the real world, two different people, in two different beds, in two different worlds, shared a soft, sweet smile, before sighing and turning back to their dreams.   
  
  
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Chances are you'll find me  
Somewhere on your road tonight  
Seems I always end up driving by  
Ever since I've known you  
It just seems you're on my way  
  
All the rules of logic don't apply  
I long to see you in the night  
Be with you 'til morning light  
  
I remember clearly how you looked  
The night we met  
I recall your laughter and your smile  
I remember how you made me  
Feel so at ease  
I remember all your grace and your style  
  
And now you're all I long to see  
You've come to mean so much to me  
  
Chances are I'll see you  
In my dreams tonight  
You'll be smiling like the night we met  
Chances are I'll hold you and I'll offer  
All I have  
  
You're the only one I can't forget  
Baby you're the best I've ever met  
  
And I'll be dreaming of the future  
And hoping you'll be by my side  
And the morning I'll be longing for the night  
For the night  
  
  
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End file.
